1. Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a circular saw blade with a rotation axis and a flat annular element, arranged around the rotation axis, which is provided with teeth on its outer edge.
The invention further concerns a process for the production of a circular saw blade using a plane, flat annular element that is provided with teeth on its periphery.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A circular saw blade of the aforesaid type is generally known, for example from WO 88/02683.
The known circular saw blade is, like other known circular saw blades, designed so that it is thickened in the region near the axis, and is flatter at its periphery. Known circular saw blades generally have a plane radial defining surface, but occasionally they are also symmetrical with respect to a radial center plane, and thus become thicker on either side of the radial center plane.
It is generally desirable in saw technology, however, to make saw kerfs as narrow as possible in order to maximize wood yield by minimizing the volume of sawdust. This is especially true if a plurality of thin boards is to be cut out of a piece of lumber, since then the kerf width is an important factor in the wood yield.
The demand for the thinnest possible kerf necessarily leads to especially thin circular saw blades. One the one hand, however, circular saw blades cannot be made arbitrarily thin, since otherwise there would be stability problems, especially if one simultaneously wishes to have high feed speeds or cutting speeds in order to cut the largest possible quantity of wood products in a certain period of time. Specifically, as the feed or cutting speed is raised, the radial load on the circular saw blade simultaneously increases, with the result that the ensuing stability problems become greater, the thinner the circular saw blade.
On the other hand, it has been proposed in the aforesaid WO 88/02683 that circular saw blades be used together with "separator elements." This is understood to mean an element that is stationary with respect to the rotating circular saw blade, that extends to a point close to the teeth of the circular saw blade, and that bends the separated side board out of the separation plane immediately after passage of the teeth, and removes it from engagement with the circular saw blade.
With circular saw blades of this kind that have a separator element, it is indeed possible to reduce further the mechanical stress on circular saw blades, but this again comes close to the limits of feasibility.